I'm the reporter who discovered Knickers the giant steer. I can assure you he is enormous

The massive Holstein Friesian steer standing at a height of 194 centimetres is believed to be the tallest in Australia and has burst his way onto news feeds across the world in the past few days.

I first heard about Knickers from my colleague Tyne Logan, who had asked me to come along to the Brunswick Show in the south-west of WA to meet what was rumoured to be one of the world's biggest examples of cattle.

Knickers didn't make it to the show that day because he was just too large to fit on the truck, and too big for his impending fate at the abattoir.

When we finally got to check out Knickers for ourselves at Geoff Pearson's farm in Myalup, 90 minutes south of Perth, any scepticism we may have had about this bovine's bona fides was instantly erased.

#FakeMoos

Photos cannot do the giant steer justice — he is huge.

Yet some overseas publications, including the Washington Post, have dared to question whether Knickers's proportions have been inflated.

They even got an expert from the Netherlands to try to cut Knickers down to size.

Standing in the same field as Knickers again on Thursday, let me offer some perspective.

Yes, in the pictures he is surrounded by Wagyu cattle — which are generally small.

But for me, a woman of five-foot-seven, it was pretty intimidating when all of his 1,400 kilograms first came lumbering through the gate towards me.

In a field full of normal-sized cattle, he certainly commands a degree of respect and humility from those trying to take his photo.

Knickers takes on the world

Fast-forward four weeks and Knickers has had way more than his 15 minutes of fame.

He has taken over the internet and filled up Mr Pearson's message bank with media requests.

"I scanned through my phone this morning and looked at how many messages and how many phone calls that I've had transacted through my phone and I think it was like 42 messages and 106 phone calls that I took yesterday," he said.

The calls came from media outlets across the world as the Knickers wave grew.

"The social media and the recognition, it's gone international, you can't believe it," Mr Pearson said.

"It's even got into a political space as well, it's touched everybody."

The tweets and memes have flown thick and fast over the past few days, with some suggesting Knickers should win TIME's person of the year, or that he was a reason behind Victorian opposition leader Matthew Guy's resignation.

Brussels Parliament Recognises Animals As Sentient Beings

In a historic vote, the Brussels Parliament has unanimously backed a draft ordinance which recognises animals as sentient beings.

Bianca Debaets, the State Secretary responsible for animal welfare,
suggested the vote could revolutionise the treatment of animals in the
Brussels-Capital Region, according to The Brussels Times.

The vote means that animals will no longer carry the legal status of
“object,” in the category of property and immobile goods. Instead, they
will be classed as a specific group in society and afforded a more
sophisticated degree of legal protection. When judging violations of
animal protection regulations, courts must take into account that
animals are capable of experiencing emotions and pain.

According to Debaets, only the southern region of Wallonia offers
similar legal protection in the country. However, the Senate is looking
into a constitutional amendment which would compel the Federal State and
its bodies to enforce animal sentience protections.

“We are perfectly in line with the spirit of the Federal
Government which, through Justice Minister Koen Geens, has proposed a
modification of the Civil Code to remove animals from the category of
goods and create a new specific category for them,” Debaets said.

Debaets also praised other countries for their progressive animal rights legislation, saying, “We also learned from countries like France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, which are very advanced in this regard.”

Hopeful that Brussels’ vote will be a significant step forward for animal rights, the politician added, “The ultimate aim is for animals to benefit finally from the legal status that corresponds to their biological nature.”

Animal Rights Legislation

Around the world, animal rights legislation is moving forward.

Last year, UK MPs omitted part of an EU treaty recognising nonhuman
pain and emotion from the EU Withdrawal Bill. In retaliation, the public
urged the government to legally recognise animal sentience.

The Environmental Secretary Michael Gove responded positively. He said in a statement, “animals
are sentient beings who feel pain and suffering, so we are writing that
principle into law and ensuring that we protect their welfare.” Though the bill did not allude to the protection of factory farmed-animals, Gove said, “we are a nation of animal lovers, so we will make Brexit work not just for citizens but for the animals.” The Welsh government officially backed Gove, concurring, “we fully agree animals are sentient beings.”

In India, the state of Uttarakhand
recently bestowed human rights to animals in a bid to deter poaching,
environmental abuse, and cruelty towards both domestic and wild animals.
And in the U.S., elephant welfare advocates are currently awaiting a
ruling by the Orleans County Supreme Court, which may rule that an
isolated, self-aware Bronx Zoo elephant has legal personhood.

Experience is something you gain a few minutes after you could have used it!

Inseparable - A remarkable bond between strapper and Jericho Cup hero

Jericho Cup winner High Mode is a little bit special to his strapper Bec Smith.

In fact, truth be told, he’s incredibly special.

And when the Anthony Freedman-trained gelding swung for home four
lengths in front in Warrnambool on Sunday afternoon, Smith was both
terribly excited and extremely nervous.

As history shows, High Mode would go on to score a three-length victory, sending Smith into a state of euphoria.

“It was literally the best day, it was so exciting,” Smith told RSN927 on Monday.

“To have the horse win and win so well, it meant so much to me and the entire stable.”

Smith explained that nervousness is a regular occurrence when High
Mode takes to the track, and admitted the enormity of Sunday’s historic
occasion took things to a new level.

“I didn’t think I would be able to watch it, I thought I was going to
spew,” said Smith, who watched the race behind the fence adjacent to
the winning post.

“When he hit the front, I started shaking and crying, and then when
he crossed the line, I balled my eyes out and hugged everybody. I tried
to pull myself together, but I couldn’t.”

Following High Mode’s famous victory, and after attempting to calm
down, Smith enjoyed a special (quiet) moment with her much-loved friend.

She wanted to let him know (privately) how proud she was.

“I gave him the biggest hug then popped his rug on and walked him back to his box,” said Smith.

“I gave him his dinner and just sat there in his box with him for a while; we enjoyed each other’s company.

A son of Redwood, High Mode was purchased by Freedman for $105,000 at
the New Zealand Ready To Run Sale of 2YOs in 2015, and since crossing
the ditch, Smith has pretty much been by his side, spoiling him more
often than not.

“He is my absolute favourite horse, I adore him so much,” said Smith,
who has been with the Freedman stable for nearly four years.

“He’s got the best temperament and he’s the smartest little horse.
He’s so sweet; he just does anything you ask of him. He’s a legend.”

High Mode’s win in the Riverina Cup at Wagga in New South Wales in
August qualified him for the Jericho Cup, and he has since raced at
Avoca and Moonee Valley.

“It’s been such a long journey to get this horse here. Because it’s
such a long-distance race, there’s so much preparation that goes into
it,” said Smith.

“Given the months and months of preparation, it made it all worth it.

“With the race being 4600 metres, it’s hard to keep the horse from
being dour, so we did a lot with him; we took him to the beach, to the
track, we schooled him (over some jumps).”

The Jericho Cup is the brainchild of Bill Gibbins, and Sunday’s race
took place 100 years after the first running, which was staged to
distract Turkish forces on the eve of the charge of the Light Horse at
Beersheba.

Sunday’s meeting at The ‘Bool was a huge success, with more than 4,500 patrons on track.

“It was so much to do with race, especially when they sang the
national anthem and all of the horses came out. It was such a special
moment, to sit back and think that you a part of history,” Smith
explained.

High Mode improved his record to three wins from 17 starts, for stakes amassing $210,000.

Smith hopes he adds to that tally, but should he not, High Mode will always be a champion in her eyes.

“When he retires, I hope to give him a forever home. I told Anthony
the first day I rode him, ‘this is a special horse’,” Smith said.

Experience is something you gain a few minutes after you could have used it!

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